Valparaiso Crusaders
The Valparaiso Crusaders Basketball team is the basketball team that represent Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2004. The Crusaders are currently coached by Homer Drew, who is in his 18th year. The Crusaders play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a capacity of 5,432. History The beginning The Crusaders' first game was in 1917. Under the coaching of Sidney Winters, the team lost to Chicago. The team would finish 7-2 that year http://www.valpo.edu/athletics/assets/mediaguides/MBB-2006-2007-01.pdf. In 1988, Homer Drew took the job as head coach, a position that he is still in today. 1988 would also be the year that the Crusaders defeated Number 19 Notre Dame in a game that came to be known as "The Lutheran Miracle." The tallest team The 1944-1945 team was billed as "The World's Tallest Team."http://www.valpo.edu/athletics/assets/mediaguides/MBB-2006-2007-01.pdf That year, they defeated Long Island University in a game played in Madison Square Garden. Conference affiliation The Crusaders would join the Indiana Collegiate Conference for the 1950-1951 season. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1961-1962. In 1968-1969, they hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time. Division I The Crusaders joined Division I before the 1978-1979 season. After four years as an independent, they became charter members of the AMCU. NCAA tournament Under coach Homer Drew, the Crusaders became a conference power. They won their first Mid-Continent championship in 1995, led by star player Bryce Drew. However, the team was not invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders won the 1996 conference championship and received their first invitation to the Division I NCAA Tournament. In the 1998 Tournament, the Crusaders won their first Tournament game, defeating the University of Mississippi on a last second shot by Bryce Drew. The Crusaders would go on to win their second round game against Florida State University before losing in the Sweet 16 to the University of Rhode Island. The Crusaders would win the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament every year until 2001, when Southern Utah University won the conference tournament. In Coach Scott Drew's only year as head coach, the team advanced to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to the University of Iowa in their first game televised by ESPN. They would play in the title game of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament every year between 1995 and 2004. All time tournament results The Crusaders have appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2-7. Radio All Crusader games are broadcast for free on the Valparaiso website at www.valpo.edu/athletics. WVUR-FM, the student-run campus radio station, also broadcasts select Crusader games on 95.1 FM and on the station's website. Crusaders in the NBA *Don Bielke *Bob Dille *Bryce Drew *John Janisch *Milt Schoon 2007-08 schedule and results (men) 2007-08 schedule and results (women) Conference membership history All-time records 1126-1064 External links *School website *Official athletics website Category:Horizon League members Category:Schools in Indiana Category:NCAA Division I schools